


Day 12 - The Clothes That Make The Man

by Amemait



Category: Hot Fuzz (2007)
Genre: GFY, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-10
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-12-18 08:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/877473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amemait/pseuds/Amemait
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Nicholas isn't making things up in his head like superstition. There are statistics to back these up. Unfortunately, I don't have my Community Policing reference book in the country with me, or I'd pull out the appropriate numbers.</p><p>A police officer whose uniform is clean and well-ironed is more likely to be respected, and obeyed by the public, than one who is not. It's a little bit like the 'lab coat theory', which forms the basis for some of the scarier psychological experiments of the past. A person whose clothes reflect a position of power, in general, is more likely to have orders they give obeyed. It's one of the leading theories on why people obeyed what the Nazis told them, as well.</p><p>A police officer wearing a hat is accepted more easily as an authority figure than one who is not. I believe this plays slightly into the 'position of power clothing', but also into height; the taller somebody is, the greater the authority you will believe that person wields.</p><p>It is shockingly easy to strangle somebody with a real tie.</p><p>I first came up with the idea for this fic during, and I kid you not, Policing classes in Canada.</p></blockquote>





	Day 12 - The Clothes That Make The Man

Nicholas was very good at ironing pants. He had to be. Up and down, smooth out any creases, then add a single line to it in the front, so that it looked all nice and proper. 

Because policework was as much about proper appearance as it was about the execution of unquestionable moral authority.

And he really did believe that, right down to the bottom of his heart. Because appearance could - and often did - play just as much of a part in things like community and preventative policing as it did when interrogating suspects or persons of interest or simply interviewing a member of the public.

Nicholas adjusted his shirt, first carefully checking it over for any signs of pilling, then running a stickybrush over it to pick up any stray pieces of fluff left over from the washing machine, then finally ironing it, making sure to follow the already-present guidelines carefully, so as not to make any tram-tracks in the fabric.

A professional appearance could actually spell the difference between life and death. This was fact, this was a well-studied phenomenom.

Nicholas spit-polished his shoes until they almost reflected his image. They were a decent pair of shoes, and by now very comfortable, and certainly easy to run in, but Nicholas still managed to keep them looking as new as if he'd just bought them the previous day. He did own spares, of course, and they were all kept just as bright, though not quite as broken-in, because Nicholas was very attached to this pair of shoes.

An officer who is well-groomed, and whose uniform is proper, is more likely to be respected by members of the public, and therefore to have people attempt to behave. Disrespect from members of the public towards members of the police service did not tend to end very well.

Nicholas combed his hair into place, used a tiny amount of gel to hold it down, and jammed the hat on.

An officer wearing a hat is more likely to be accepted as an authority figure than one who is not wearing a hat.

Nicholas picked up his breakaway clip-on tie and adjusted it until it hung just right on his shirt. Because for all that he believed in the proper appearance of a police officer, he'd be damned if somebody was going to try to strangle him with his own damn tie.

**Author's Note:**

> Nicholas isn't making things up in his head like superstition. There are statistics to back these up. Unfortunately, I don't have my Community Policing reference book in the country with me, or I'd pull out the appropriate numbers.
> 
> A police officer whose uniform is clean and well-ironed is more likely to be respected, and obeyed by the public, than one who is not. It's a little bit like the 'lab coat theory', which forms the basis for some of the scarier psychological experiments of the past. A person whose clothes reflect a position of power, in general, is more likely to have orders they give obeyed. It's one of the leading theories on why people obeyed what the Nazis told them, as well.
> 
> A police officer wearing a hat is accepted more easily as an authority figure than one who is not. I believe this plays slightly into the 'position of power clothing', but also into height; the taller somebody is, the greater the authority you will believe that person wields.
> 
> It is shockingly easy to strangle somebody with a real tie.
> 
> I first came up with the idea for this fic during, and I kid you not, Policing classes in Canada.


End file.
